1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of producing a fiber-reinforced composite material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present inventors have already proposed a method of producing a fiber-reinforced composite material which comprises the steps of fixing fiber body in the cavity of a mold, pouring a molten light alloy as the matrix material into the mold cavity, applying a high hydrostatic pressure to the molten metal to fill the fiber body with the molten metal to form a composite material, and rapidly solidifying the fiber-reinforced composite material.
This method, however, has the following disadvantage. During the pouring of the molten light alloy into the mold cavity, the fiber body is surrounded by the molten alloy so that the air in the fiber body is confined therein. Then, as the molten alloy is pressurized to penetrate into and combine with the fiber body, the molten alloy expels the air from the fiber body and disperses it thereinto. However, it is often experienced that depending on the timing of pressurizing the air is not expelled from the fiber body but remain therein to form voids which are not filled with the alloy.
In order to avoid this problem, it is considered to suitably adjust the timing of pressurizing so as to give a preference to the expelling of the air to ensure good dispersion thereof into the molten alloy. Such an adjustment of timing of pressurizing, however, limits or complicates the casting condition undesirably.